http://www.profootballhof.com/enshrinement/2013/1/11/2013-Finalists-for-Football-Hall-of-Fame/#2013 Passed over again!
If he gets in it's going to eventually be as a Senior Committee automatic bid. Sadly too many of the current voters (particularly the sports writers) never had a chance to watch him coach or appreciate his scheme in action. Let's forget that fact that his scheme influenced a solid 1/3+ of the current offenses being run around the league (a stat only outdone by Bill Walsh who is in the HOF). No, no... we'd much rather cow-tow to Jerome effing Bettis.
It's total bullshit. He changed the game of football. On a lesser note, the fact that Ray Guy will never get in is total crap too.
Not hipsters, but the sports journalism world is getting filled with less and less Bob Costas' and more and more Chris Mortensen's. A lot of that is the proliferation of television media personalities into the voting - along with the current HOF'ers. The issue you run into is that the number of guys still living that played for or against Coach Coryell pale in number comparison to those that played for/against say Parcells or with/against Bettis. Of the finalists this year, the only absolute lock should be Jonathan Ogden with Larry Allen trailing. Even in this current field Strahan shouldn't be the lock to get in that he probably is (because the memory of #4 laying down to give Strahan his record-breaking sack is still fresh in peoples' minds). Meanwhile Kevin Greene, who is #3 on the All-Time Sack list (2 spots higher than Strahan), is practically a brush-under-the-rug nomination this year and it will be criminal if he gets snubbed and Strahan gets in over him.
“I'm (ticked),'' Fouts said. Knowing Fouts, you realize “ticked” wasn't his word of choice. Knowing Fouts, you realize he'll keep working to overcome the injustice of Coryell not being among the game's greats. “Until,'' Fouts said, “I draw my last breath.''
Disagree on Guy. I know people like to champion him, but I can't get behind electing a guy who plays a handful of plays in a game.
Punters are people too! The HoF is for the best players/coaches/etc in the game. Ray Guy was an incredible player at his position. In-freaking-credible. Punters/kickers get no credit and way too much ****. Their margin for error is as close to zero as you can get in the sport. Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
Ray Guy was an order of magnitude better than any player at his position. He should have been a first-ballot HOFer.
Coryell not getting into the HoF is a crime against the football gods. It's just wrong, like cheerleaders wearing pants.
Sadly, I kind of gave up on this when Coryell was snubbed, near death, with Fouts lobbying like a son of a bitch on his behalf. I kinda lost hope there, that the Hall would ever make it right, re. Don. If you still haven't seen the great Charger DVD set, you can pick up a copy of it on Amazon, for as little as $8.53, new, shipped. http://www.amazon.com/NFL-History-San-Diego-Chargers/dp/B002AS461O/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1358017164&sr=1-1&keywords=san diego chargers It is the best argument for the amazing Gilman/Coryell impact on pro football passing. I wish I could be more optimistic about Don's chances...but I fear the gate has shut. (but Dan, please don't stop fighting...just in case...even if you lose, it shows appropriate respect)
It all depends on media visibility (read: making a loud *** out of yourself - see Carter & Sapp) and winning super bowls as well as being a 'flashy position'. Hall of Fames (and baseball can be just as bad at this) are no longer about the best players
Who cares how many plays he played in? The HOF is about enshrining the best of the best and Guy was the best of the best at his position...a position that, regardless of how often is on the field, is still vital to the game in terms of field position.
Well, if you mean that punters are carbon-based, need people (a la Streisand) and use tools, then yes, they are people. The question is whether they're truly full-fledged football players. I'm torn on the Ray Guy issue: I used to advocate putting him in Canton because he totally dominated his position in his era...maybe even slightly redefined it, and--since there are no punters in the Hall-- there's no question that he should be the first. On the other hand: though I would never say--categorically--that punters don't deserve induction, I do think that, because they are on the field so much less than position players, a punter needs to be amazing to get in. Guy did seem amazing in the '70s...but as time goes on, his average and net average look less impressive. And it's not like passing stats, where a clown like Ryan Fitzpatrick can throw for over 3,800 yards because rule changes have made passing so much easier in this era...a punter's job hasn't changed much since Guy's time...but guys like Lechler trounce Guy's stats. Can we induct Guy and snub the clearly superior Lechler? Will we need the best punter of each decade, now? Again, Guy was great...but was he amazing enough, re. his limited on-field time? Honestly, I think there's a reasonable argument for and against inducting Ray Guy. So, I'm happy with him in or out. Maybe slip him in with the understanding that it's partially because he made the position more important (a one time deal, so you don't need to follow him with a stream of punters...)
I think it's unfair to try and compare punters to their colleagues at other positions. They're not on the field that much by nature of their job, but if they're the best of the best at their position shouldn't they be recognized for that? A punter, while not on the field as much, is still very important to his team. I seem to recall Marty's words on Scifres calling him a "weapon". (Not trying to compare Scifres to Guy of course).
When one looks at how many HC's are in the NFL HOS that came out of the richest coaching tree to ever exist, Gillman-Coryell there are no words of explanation and cause for such a travesty. IMHO, Gillman-Coryell will always be connected and If I recall right, Bill Walsh even gave both men all the credit for his style offense based off the passing tree. There are no words and it's a fawking SIN!!!!
AGAIN??!! This puts me in a realm of pissed-off that I didn't think was even possible for me in the football world. WTF does it take for arguable THE most awesome HC in history to get into the Hall of Fame, I wonder? Bribes? A boycott? A few well-placed explosives under the seats of the people who decide these things? As politically incorrect as that probably sounds, SOMETHING needs to be done to get these arse-holes' attention. I hope Dan Fouts keeps on fighting, because Don Coryell was an iconic football coach and he deserves this recognition. Shame on the HOF!
